Three problems related to gasoline engine have been reported for the 2002 Saturn LS. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The 2002 Saturn l200 just quit running yesterday while on the pennsylvania turnpike. When I had it towed to the dealership they told me that the timing chain had broke, and that it was likely that other severed, and costly engine damge occurred as a result. In searching the internet I have found many other owners of Saturns with the similar experiences. As I was running at 65 mph on the turnpike, a sudden loss of engine power could have caused a major accident.
My l200 Saturn had a timing chain failure at 85,000 miles. This is clearly due to a defect because Saturn has a technical service bulletin indicating a larger oil nozzle is included in the timing chain replacement kit due to insufficient lubrication at low engine rpm. It is fortunate that this did not occur at highway speeds because with the standard transmission fatalities could have easily resulted. This car was meticulously maintained with oil and filter changes every 3-5k miles. Saturn has the car now and has reported in addition to the failed timing chain it also has a bent valve and possible piston damage. This effectively means this timing chain failure destroyed the engine. There is now no confusion in my mind why the japanese auto industry is eating detroit's lunch.
When driving or at a complete stop vehicle will start to rev even when foot is on the brake.